About · Editorial Standards

Why we exist, who we are, and how we make decisions.

Hearing Calm Guide is an independent reader-supported review site focused on one topic: helping people make smarter, less overwhelmed choices about tinnitus and hearing health.

Most of what's written about tinnitus online falls into one of two camps. On one side, clinical sites tell you "there's no cure, learn to live with it." On the other, salesy product sites promise miracle outcomes that don't survive 30 days of honest use. We sit in between — honest about what's possible, honest about what isn't, and honest about the affiliate relationships that fund this work.

The person behind the reviews

Sarah Mitchell

Wellness Writer · Tinnitus & Hearing Health

Sarah taught middle and high school music for 22 years before retiring early to focus on writing about hearing health. After developing tinnitus from cumulative noise exposure, she spent more than a year testing supplements, devices, and protocols — keeping notes the way she once kept lesson plans. Hearing Calm Guide is the result of that documentation. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, two cats, and a piano that finally gets played again.

Editorial principles

Five things we commit to in every piece of content we publish:

Honest framing. If a product worked for a subset of people, we'll say "a subset of people" — not "thousands transformed."
Affiliate transparency. Every review with affiliate links carries a clear disclosure at the top of the page. Always.
Structure/function language only. We never claim a supplement "cures" or "treats" any condition. We use the legally and scientifically appropriate language of support and influence on body systems.
Refund policies above hype. If a product doesn't have a meaningful money-back guarantee, we won't recommend it.
No purchased reviews. Testimonials we feature are reader-submitted experiences (or pulled from public manufacturer review sections), never paid placements.

How we make money

This site is supported entirely by affiliate commissions. When a reader clicks a product link and goes on to purchase, the manufacturer pays us a commission at no extra cost to the reader. We don't run display ads, we don't sell email lists, and we don't take payments from manufacturers in exchange for coverage.

That said: affiliate revenue creates a real incentive for us to recommend products people actually buy. We mitigate that incentive in three ways:

We only feature products with strong refund policies (90-day guarantees minimum) — so even if our review doesn't fit your situation, you can return the product.
We disclose affiliate relationships at the top of every review.
We point out the genuine downsides of products we cover (cost, time-to-effect, who it's not for) — not just the strengths.

Get in touch

Reader feedback shapes what we cover next. If you've tried a product we've reviewed, want to suggest a topic, or spot something on the site that needs correcting — we'd love to hear from you.